Speed wrench



SPEED WRENCH Filed June 29, 1943 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Patented Dec. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE SPEED-WRENCH William W. Pike, Glendale, Ariz.

Application June 29, 1943, Serial No. 492,744

2 Claims. (01. s1 5s This invention pertains to speed wrenches and has for its objects, first, the provision of a wrench whereby a nut can be rapidly twisted or turned on or off a bolt where there is little torsion required. and may optionally be operated as a ratchet wrench; I

Second; the provisio of a combination speed wrench and ratchet wrench. wherein rapid rotation of the [wrench socket holding element is attained by the unwinding of a steel tape from a.

act in a direct manner between the socket holding element and a supportingcase when the tape is fully wound;

Third; the provision of the above wrench wherein means ar included for maintaining the tape wound, and for preventing counter rotation of the socket holding element.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire tool; Figure 2, a side elevation view of the body housing; Figure 3, a plan View with part of the upper housing broken away to show the interior construction. Figure 4 is a sectional side view taken on line 4-4 Figure l, and Figure 5 is a prospective view of the ratchet disk.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts in all views.

To the outside of the body case 2, a handle 3 is attached extending radially. The case includes a lower portion d, into which the upper half 5 is fitted. Within the center of the lower half an inwardly extending boss 8 forms a bearing. Bob'- bin 7 bears on the outside of this boss and revolves (within the case part 4. An annular groove or counterbore 8 within this bobbin houses a spiral return spring 9 having its inner end secured to the outside of boss 6 at I and its outer end to the annular partition H of the bobbin at I2. Steel tape I4 is coiled around the outside of this partition with its inner end attached at l and its outer end extending through a slot iii in case part 4.

Spindle ll extends axially through case 2 with its lower end bearing within boss 6 and its upper end bearing in boss l8 in case part 5. Above lower part of this spindle I'L'Which is rounded to form a journal, is a square shank sized to loosely fit a square hole H in ratchet disk 2|. This ratchet disk has downwardly extending ratchet detents 22 formed on its lower face by cutting and depressing th metal near its rim as shown particularly in Figure 5. These detents are faced as shown so as to impart clockwise rotation to disk 2| by engagement with lugs or teeth 23 similarly formed on the upper fac 24 of bobbin '1. A spiral helix spring 25 surrounding spindle ll holds disk 2| against bobbin face 24. The bobbin drives the ratchet disk when tape I4 is unwound by pulling. A second set of ratchet teeth 28 is formed around the periphery of disk 2 I. These ratchet teeth are formed by stamping notches.

A light flat spring 30 forming a pawl is fastened to the inside of case part 4 with the free endbearing against the faces of this ratchet to prevent clockwise movement of disk 2|. This prevents spindle l i from backing up in case there is excessive friction between the bobbin and the ratchet disk. The free end of spring 30 is provided with an angular bend 3| so that under excessive pressure in a reverse direction the detent will release.

Squared bosses 33 and 34 are formed at each end of spindle l'l adapted to receive the squared holes in wrench heads or'other tool appliances I which may be retained by spring loaded bearing balls 35.

In use the required heads are slipped on to either bosses 33 or 34, depending on which direction the nut or screw is to be turned, and the wrench head or other tool applied to the work.

When there is considerable distance to be taken up at slight resistance the wrench is operated by pulling the crosshandle 31 on the outer end of tape I0 while the wrench head is held in position on the nut by grasping the handle 3. This motion unwinds tape M from the bobbin and as the lugs on the top face of the bobbin engage detents on disk 2| rotary motion is imparted to spindle I'l. When the tape is released the return spring 9 rewinds bobbin 1 and thus retracts and rewinds the tape. Pawl 30 prevents a reverse motion of spindle I! in case the nut on which the device is used has not sufiicient frictional resistance to neutralize the frictional engagement between the bobbin and the disk Having now described my invention and explained its. use, I- realize that, to those familiar with the art, many variations and substitutes may suggest themselves, all of which might well remain within the intention and spirit of the invention, therefore I wish to be limited only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A speed wrench comprising, in combination, a cylindrical case consisting of an upper part and a lower part fitted thereon, a peripheral slot formed in said case parts, a radially extending handle attached to said lower case part and an axially positioned bearing boss formed in said lower part, a spindle journaled within said case having squared bosses at each end adapted to receive and yieldably retain wrench heads or the like, a bobbin having an axially concentric annular recess opening on its bottom face and ratchet engaging lugs on its upper face bearing on said bearing boss in said case, a ratchet disk attached to said spindle to turn therewith and have axial movement thereon having detents adapted to engage said lugs on said bobbin when said bobbin is rotated in the direction imparted by withdrawing a metal ribbon wrapped around said bobbin, and having notches formed around its periphery, a spring urging said ratchet disk toward said bobbin face, a metal ribbon wound around said bobbin with its inner end attached thereto and its free end extending thr'u said slot in said case, a handle attached to the free end of said ribbon and adapted to engage the 7 sides of said slot and prevent the free end of said ribbon from entering therein, a return bobbin adapted to resiliently maintain said ribbon wound on said bobbin, and a yieldable spring element attached to the interior of said case adapted to frictionally engage the said notches on said ratchet disk to impede rotation of said ratchet disk in the direction imparted by said return spring.

2. A speed wrench comprising, in combination, a cylindrical case having a peripheral longitudinally extending slot and a radially extending handle and an axially positioned bearing boss; a spindle, having squared bosses at each end adapted to receive and retain wrench heads, journaled in said bearing boss; a bobbin, having an outer annular channel adapted to receive convolutions of a steel tape, a counterbore forming an inner annular recess, and a disk like face provided with raised ratchet teeth, journaled within said case on said bearing boss; a return spring wound within the recess in said bobbin with its inner end attached to said bearing boss and its outer end attached to said bobbin; a steel pull tape wound around the outer annular 1 channel of said bobbin, with the inner end atspring operative intermediate said case and said tached to said bobbin and the outer end provided with a cross handle; a ratchet disk keyed to said case adjacent said slot when said tape is fully wound on said bobbin.

' WILLIAM W. PIKE. 

